Indian football: AIFF executive committee meeting postponed to July 9

The road map of Indian football, among other issues, is likely to be discussed at the AIFF executive committee meeting.

The development will allow AIFF to conduct its own AFC ‘A’ and ‘B’ diploma courses and also provide AFC A and B Diploma Certificates. (File photo)

The scheduled executive committee meeting of the All India Football Federation, which was supposed to take place on July 3, has been postponed to July 9.

This was confirmed by AIFF Vice President Subrata Dutta, though he did not elaborate the reason behind the postponement. “Yes, the meeting has been postponed to July 9,” Dutta told IANS .

The road map of Indian football, among other issues, is likely to be discussed at the AIFF executive committee meeting.

There has been widespread doubt over whether the  I-League  will continue to remain the top-tier of Indian football or if the cash-rich  Indian Super League  (ISL) will take the top spot.

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The AIFF had signed a Master Rights of Agreement (MRA) with its commercial partners Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), a subsidiary of IMG Reliance, in 2010 which had stated that a new league (ISL) could be made the top division of Indian football and that the I-League could be reconstituted, replaced and/or discontinued (temporarily or permanently).

If the ISL is named as the top division, the I-League will be re-named as League One and the second division will become League 2. Both the lower divisions will follow a system of promotion and relegation, but clubs from neither division will be able to join the ISL through promotion. The ISL clubs will enjoy immunity from relegation, as promised in the 10-year contract they had signed ahead of the first season in 2014.